Charles Bewitched

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Friday, October 21, 2016

Redeeming the Irredeemable

I try not to read reviews. Positive ones set me aglow, but
negative ones sink my spirit faster than a well-aimed torpedo. That’s why, when
I was researching online and ran across this review for The Irredeemable Miss Renfield, one of my earlier books, my heart
quailed.

“If Utterly Devoted
is Regina Scott at her best, The
Irredeemable Miss Renfield is Regina Scott at her worst.”

Ouch.

Now, I’d like to think that a writer grows with each book,
so, theoretically, The Unflappable Miss
Fairchild should be my worst book, as it was my first. Of course, I tweaked
it before its recent reissue. But, based on that review, Irredeemable sounded, well, irredeemable.

I was determined that that would not be the case. I made
myself look at what readers had said. Most people liked the hero, Leslie
Petersborough, now Marquis of Hastings on the death of his father. I will admit
Leslie was one of my favorites as well. No, most concerns seemed to center
around my heroine, Cleopatra Renfield, and her wild plan to stop her stepsisters
from interfering in her life by misbehaving.

You see, Cleo’s parents died when she was a youth, and her
much older stepsisters packed her off to boarding school to learn to behave
like a lady. Now, they are determined to marry her off. And Cleo is determined
to stop them.

In the original version, Cleo thought that causing a scandal
would stop all suitors from pursuing her. She seemed oblivious to the serious
consequences that could arise for a young lady behaving in a shocking manner in
Regency England. One reviewer called her “woefully naïve.”

No more. I firmed up Cleo’s backstory, showed why a young
lady like her might be driven to such extremes. I didn’t shy away from the
consequences, but I showed why the alternative, marriage to someone she
despises, might be worse in Cleo’s eyes. I hope readers will see Cleo as
spirited, brave, tremendously loyal to those she loves, and not so very naïve
this time.

The Irredeemable Miss
Renfield is now available for sale at fine retailers near you. I hope you
find her thoroughly redeemed.

2 comments:

Glad you can take constructive criticism and revise your stories. This one is not my favorite because of the very silly heroine. I probably would have really liked it when I was closer to Cleo's age and in my rebellious phase.